News:

Your username and password for these discussion forums are unique to the forums. Your forum login information is separate from your My Adventure Cycling login information. Also, please note that your login information for the forums is not connected to your Adventure Cycling membership number. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.

We have blocked registrations from several countries because of the large quantities of spam that originate there. If the forum denies your legitimate registration, please ask our administrator for an exception. Send an email to webmaster@adventurecycling.org and we will follow up with you.

Author
Topic: Along the South Holston River, Tennessee River to St. Louis (Read 321 times)

I'm a fisherman as much as a bicyclist. I'm planning a cross country route along rivers so I can camp and fish. I'd love to catch the spring run of white bass up the South Holston River and fish the tailwaters of the Tennessee River Dams. Can anyone tell what roads to avoid and what roads that will keep close to the rivers and lakes with services?

A good place to start your research are the individual state bicycle coordinators for the states in which you need routing. These are through the DOTs. Many have online resources as well as printed materials. Nearly every state publishes a bicycle map of some sort that they will send out for free and the coordinators often have more information they can distribute for no charge as well. And while the maps aren't as detailed as ours, they generally offer suggested roads for cycling through their state. Here is a link to the contact information for all of the bicycle coordinators:

It's a difficult thing you're asking. Most of the mainstream dams on the Tennessee (Wilson, Wheeler, Chickamauga, Watts Bar, and Ft. Loudon) have bridges across them, so there's lots of traffic when the generators are running and the floodgates aren't open, 7-9 a.m., 3-7 p.m.: rush hour. Guntersville (from the south) and Watts Bar might be the two easiest to access near good fishing times.

Camping could be a problem. TVA generally doesn't allow camping at its boat ramps and public access areas. There's a state park just upstream of Wheeler, though access to the dam would require you to go ~5 miles out of your way or cycle a linear racetrack at rush hour, then cross the narrow, two lane bridge to get to the powerhouse. Oh, just remembered there's an RV park (and weekend fish restaurant) just south of Wheeler! One other option might be a hotel in downtown Chattanooga, and take the bike/pedestrian path up to just below Chickamauga.

Still, if you can figure out a way, you might get lucky and get a plucky smallmouth!